Bless The Broken Road
by bellaandeddie1
Summary: Not yet broken, Harry is saved. Voldemort see's Harry for who he is and makes him his equal. Can Harry overcome his grief at Voldemort's mistakes and forgive him? and what about the war? HP/LV slash
1. Chapter 1

A/N: If you read my last story, 'A Twist in My Story' then I'm sorry to tell you it is discontinued because I really don't like how I wrote it, so I'm starting this story. Yes, I'm sorry, I'm a perfectionist. Anyway, I've had this lot bunny running around in my head for a while, so maybe this one will work. I have no beta, so excuse my mistakes and remember the 3 R's: Read, Review, and Repeat with the next chapter.

Warning: Child abuse.

" **We have to remember that no matter how much hardship we go through in our life, there is always going to be that fragile place in our heart." ~Angie Martinez**

 **Chapter 1: A New Beginning**

You never know what is good or bad when the world is so biased; you never know the truth. Truth and identifying lies is what helps us to determine what is good and bad, but you can't identify it without knowing both sides of each and every story. Now, this doesn't happen often, but when it does, the shadows of doubt, along with their rose-colored glasses, disappear. That's the most magical thing of all.

Harry Potter had always been an exception. From the moment his mother, Lily Potter, had been told her barren body was somehow pregnant, to the moment he survived a killing curse, there had always been something special about him…and that scared the Dursley's.

"Boy!" The large man with a mustache like the Lorax looked around, huffing with the strain that his anger and weight put on his heart.

"Yes, uncle Vernon?" The 'boy' in question was Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, and supposed savior of the wizarding world and he didn't look good. His eyes were drawn and dull, his hair was greasy, his clothes got baggier by the day, and there was a large knot on the side of his head.

"Didn't I say," He said dangerously. "To clean the oven after lunch?"

"I did, uncle." Sharp pain exploded in his mouth and Harry could swear he tasted blood.

"You didn't answer the bloody question!" Vernon bellowed, his foul face so close that Harry could smell his rancid breath.

"Yes." Harry whispered, eyes downcast. "You asked me to clean the oven after lunch, uncle."

"So, you thought I wouldn't notice this?" He help up an oven rack that was stained with grease and Harry swallowed hard, knowing where this was going.

"It's clean, uncle Vernon. I scrubbed it but the stain wouldn't come out!" Harry cried, uncaring of what was going to happen. Whatever it was, let it be known that he went down with a fight.

Blackness.

Whatever had happened next had either knocked him unconscious or had caused him to forget, but either way he had found himself locked in Dudley's second bedroom again with a puddle of dried blood surround his head and in his hair. Also new, his ankle felt as if it'd been shut in a door.

Holding on to the edge of the wobbly desk near him, he pulled himself up and took inventory of the damages. It seemed like a twisted ankle, possible concussion, and a few cuts and bruises on his torso were today's little present from his uncle.

' _At this rate, I'll be dead before summer is over.'_ He thought bitterly. It had been 4 weeks since school had been out and Vernon had quickly started escalating in violence after hearing of Sirius' death, but Harry couldn't think of that now, not when there were so many important things to think of. He now knew the prophecy, the one in which he would be forced to murder Voldemort, but the thing was…he didn't want to kill the Dark Lord. Who would want to be a murderer? Well, Voldemort, of course, but Harry wished to do more with his life than be a tool in the war and to be abused by his family. He wanted to finish his education, fall in love, be a father, have his own garden, endlessly cook with new recipes instead of the repetitive foods the Dursley's ate, and maybe even open his own restaurant. _'Merlin, that would be the day.'_ Harry thought dreamily. But all dreams have to crash sometime.

Looking at the empty owl cage in front of him, he knew that most of his dreams wouldn't come true. Maybe none of them would, but at least he still had hope. He wasn't broken, not yet, though it was close. With every beating or scolding, Harry could feel another piece of him die. Soon, there would be nothing left thus, he surmised, he would be dead before summers end. His one reprieve from this hell he's living would be his dreams. In his dreams the Dursley's, Dumbledore, Voldemort, and his friends couldn't hurt him.

The Dursley's obviously hurt him both physically and emotionally, but so did Dumbledore by putting him with the Dursley's, making him stay there, controlling him, using him, and manipulating him. Voldemort, too, had obviously hurt him through murdering his parents and trying to kill him, though if Harry was truthful, he kind of had it coming. After all, in first year Harry had chased after him, not the other way around. Voldemort had even offered for Harry to join him! In second year, that had been a different story, though Harry had once again sought out trouble. The next time Harry had met Voldemort, the man _**had**_ chased after him this time, but merely to regain a body with Harry's blood. Though he had tried to duel with Harry, he hadn't been actively trying to kill Harry or else he'd have ended up like Cedric. This past year was the same, except this time the man had wanted the Prophecy, to which he technically had a right to because it was about him and Harry. Besides that, Harry's friends hadn't made life any easier. Not sending post, provoking his temper, getting jealous of him, using him as a messenger when the two fought, and berating him constantly made him honestly ready to rip hair out.

Sometimes he just wanted silence. Was it too much to ask for? Maybe it is, but even so, Harry thought he deserved it. Silence didn't have to be just what you hear, it could be the silence of understanding; just looking at each other and having a conversation without words. Now _**that**_ is magic and Harry craved it like a middle-aged woman craved youth.

"Freak!" A high-pitched screech broke his beloved silence. "If you are still alive, you had better not let this go to waste or you won't be alive long!" His aunt threatened and Harry knew she was serious. A can of soup was slid through the dull, gray cat flap on the bottom on the door.

"Thank you, aunt Petunia." He said quietly, hearing her disappointed sigh.

"Too bad." The muffled mutter almost made Harry sigh, but he would hold it in as long as his aunt might be in hearing range.

Eating the cold chicken broth, Harry longed for the delicious Hogwarts feasts and the overall warmth of the castle. Sometimes he practically begged God or whatever deity was out there for a warm, comfortable bed and clean clothes. A warm bath would be something almost worth killing for at this point, too. He had only had one shower since his arrival from Hogwarts and he hated being so disgusting, he truly did. After a life of cleaning how could he not? But for now it didn't matter. All he had to do right now was heal, he could focus on more later…if it came.

But for now he would shake those thoughts and sleep. If it was his only escape, he wanted to do it as much as possible. Crawling into the small, broken bed, Harry positioned his equally broken body into a relatively good position and, despite the pounding in his skull that told him he had a concussion, fell straight to sleep.

BOOM!

Harry startled violently as the door to the room flew off its hinges and into the wall, missing him by inches. Horrified and not a little bewildered, he looked at the unobscured door way and felt his heart stutter to a stop. Three men hovered in the door way, cloaks as black as night and silver masks covering their faces. _Death Eaters,_ his mind supplied, but the Death Eaters must be just as surprised, because they were just _**standing**_ there. Harry half wished they would actually move, if only to show him what fate had planned for him. Finally snapping out of their daze, the first Death Eater moved forward and grabbed Harry's arm harshly while the others summoned his wand, though they must have been surprised when it flew up from under the floor because the man, probably Snape if Harry guessed right, gasped.

"Get yourself under control, we're here to do a job, now let us get back." The Death Eater holding him spoke, his tone commanding. It was obviously Lucius Malfoy, Harry would've known even without hearing his voice because the platinum blond hair was a dead giveaway.

"The muggles?" The third, unidentified man asked.

"Kill them." Lucius commanded. Was it bad Harry didn't feel remorse? Well, he supposed, they had it coming.

Harry was bound and gagged after that but he made no struggle, he just kept his head down and made sure not to challenge them. Death Eaters didn't take well to challenges, he'd learned during the debacle at the Ministry. He continued not to struggle as they pushed and dragged him quickly into the street, Lucius pulled him closely as there were loud cracks echoing in the street and the last thing he saw was Dumbledore's face before being squeezed into what felt like a tube one second, and being deposited in front of what he assumed to be Malfoy Manor the next second. As soon as they landed, Harry fell to his knees, feeling sick to his stomach and tried to hold down the disgusting bile threatening to rise and expel itself, but considering his current state of being gagged he just couldn't let it out.

"Aw, poor Potter, his first apperation!" Lucius sneered with a sickening sweet voice. The other Death Eaters burst into mocking laughter and Harry refused to let the stinging tears fall.

Suddenly all the Death Eaters hissed and held their forearms tightly, picking him up and walking him into the manner. He was hurried into the throne so fast that he didn't get to enjoy or admire the décor of the illustrious home, filled with gaudy works of art and marble floors. He did, however, get to look over the throne room while the Death Eaters bowed to their master. Large, white columns of three stood on each side of the room that was shaped like a rectangle. The focal point of the room was a huge, velvet chair that was lined with gold and was a masterpiece all itself, but behind it was a large window that showed off the beautiful landscape in a not so subtle attempt to show off. The man sitting on the room was what took most of the attention in the room, though.

Lord Voldemort was pale as snow, his eyes as red as freshly spilt blood, and his face as handsome as the young man he used to be, minus the nose and hair. The Dark Lord had a powerful and strangely thrilling vibe to him that commanded the attention of all in the room, whether he was the Dark Lord or not.

"Potter." Voldemort acknowledged him with a nod, then turned to his Death Eaters. "Take him to the dungeons, it is late. Go to sleep, you have all done well and shall receive rewards for this job in the morning when you report." Dismissing them quickly.

Harry was once again lead through the halls of the manor and couldn't help but think of Voldemort's behavior. Was he tired? It seemed impossible that Voldemort was so human considering his snake-like body and personality, but Harry figured it had to happen sometime and he was tired, too.

Harry could tell when they began to ascend to the dungeons because the smooth marble changed into dark cobblestone and the candles became fewer and fewer. Eventually Harry was lead into what looked to be a prison cell and was unbound, his gag taken off.

"Be good, Potter, and you may receive a good breakfast in the morning…and a shower, too." Lucius sniffed and turned on his heel.

Looking at the small cot, Harry had nearly cried in relief at the mention of a shower, even if there was a possibility it was cold. Laying down gently, Harry really did cry this time; the cot was soft! Before he could even think about it, he fell into a deep sleep that he desperately needed.

The next time he woke up, there was a House Elf in his face, making him jump back in surprise.

"Laney's sorry to scare you's Harry Potter, master has given orders to show you the bathroom and make sure you don't run." The elf said importantly and Harry smiled.

"It's okay, Laney, show me the bathroom, please." Harry said pleasantly.

"Okay!" The elf squeaked happily, grabbing Harry's arm and popping him into the bathroom. It was a very large bathroom with a bathtub the size of a swimming pool and the signature marble floor. In the corner of the bathroom stood a shower stall that looked like absolute heaven, turning to the elf he looked at it seriously.

"Am I allowed to use hot water, Laney?" The elf looked at him in confusion.

"Master said nothing about it but Laney will ask right now." Laney said, leaving with a crack. The elf popped back in a few short minutes later, eyes wet. "Y-yes, Harry Potter, You's may use the warm water. Master also said that there would be clothes waiting when you got out." With that, the elf disappeared.

Relaxing some, Harry peeled his clothes off, noticing that the cotton was sticking to his wounds. Turning on the shower, he let his tears fall. Everything he'd kept in for all this time burst from the dam, mixing with his pure joy and relief of having a shower. He didn't know how long he cried, nor did he care, but watching the water run black and red with dirt and blood made everything seem better.

Stepping out of the shower, Harry felt something warm in his chest realized that it was hope. Hope for something as simple as another warm shower, but it made life worth it. But the clothes…oh, god, they were beautiful. Pulling the plain black robes on he noticed that they fit almost exactly and he never felt better.

"Laney." He called and the House Elf apparated in immediately. "What did your master say I'm allowed to do now?"

"Master said for you to have breakfast in the dining hall, Harry Potter. 'Tis an honor!" Laney gushed excitedly, his ears flapping.

"Then take me there, please."

"As you wish!" The elf squeaked, taking Harry's arm and apparating them to the apparent dining hall. Harry froze at the eyes on him and Laney popped out.

"Er, hi?"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: wow, just wow. Thank you guys for your reviews, they literally made my day and motivated me to write this next chapter. Before I start, I just wanted to say that the slash will not be immediate, at least not HP/LV. I really want them to get to know each other first for Voldemort to consider him an equal. Anyway, like always, remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Repeat with the next chapter!

Warnings: none for this chapter.

" **Only enemies speak the truth; friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty." ~Stephen King**

 **Chapter 2: Could this be real?**

Fame could be a fickle thing and Harry had never handled it well. He hated the constant whispers, the stares, the crowds practically lining up in the streets to watch his every move; the only thing worse was a table of Death Eaters with their master sitting at the head of the table, smirking widely as his followers laughed their arses off.

Raising a hand, Voldemort caused the room to go silent. "Ah, Mr. Potter, how…eloquent of you." The Dark Lord said, amusement dancing in the crimson eyes. "Come here." At the command, Harry swallowed hard but did as commanded, trying to ignore the eyes following him.

Stopping in front of Voldemort, the man forced him to meet his eyes and cast a silent legilimens, entering Harry's mind. Biting his lip to stop from crying out, Harry felt his scar sear his forehead and vaguely felt the blood dripping from it as his mind was viciously ripped through. Every memory, thought, feeling all being remembered and analyzed at once was excruciating, but exhilarating at the same time. When Voldemort exited Harry's mind, he felt as if an eternity had passed.

"Leave us." Voldemort commanded his followers, not taking his eyes off of Harry. Abruptly, the Death Eaters abandoned their breakfast and left the room, leaving them alone. "Sit, Potter, eat. You need it. Mipsy!" Another House Elf apparated into the room, this time it was shaking.

"Yes, Great Lord?" Mipsy asked and Harry commended her strength not to stutter.

"Bring a bowl of chicken broth and some pumpkin juice." The elf nodded quicky, eyes large.

"Mipsy will be right back, Great Lord." The elf popped out and was back a few seconds later with the food requested and Harry was surprised there was no more because all the other elves usually tried to stuff him full. ' _They must be too scared or well-trained."_ Harry thought as the elf left.

"Eat." Voldemort gestured with a growl. Harry quickly obeyed, though he knew it could be poisoned. If he were honest with himself, at this point the risk seemed worth it. Warm food and something to drink that wasn't hose water made him almost smile, but his guard was up and he wouldn't show weakness. As he ate, Voldemort stared at him and seemed to be thinking, so when he was finally finished eating, he was completely unsurprised when Voldemort started talking.

"Are you tired?" Harry was startled to hear the question, especially when it was mechanically asked.

"I'm fine." Harry said stiffly, unsure how to answer.

"Good, follow me." Bewildered by the Dark Lords strange behavior, Harry followed, trying to figure out what was going on in Voldemort's head. They eventually stopped in front of a very solid oak door, behind it looked to be a large study with a fireplace off to the side that had two couches in front. In the center of the room there was a huge desk and the walls were covered with books.

"Sit." Voldemort commanded once again and Harry once again followed orders. "You may speak." But Harry didn't know what to say. What were you supposed to say to your enemy?

"I hate you." ' _Great, now you're aiming to get yourself killed?'_ Harry thought sarcastically.

"Ah, this is Gospel." Voldemort chuckled.

"Let me go." Harry said seriously.

"No." Voldemort countered simply. "To what do you want to go back to? I've seen your memories, Harry. Join me instead." Harry stared, suddenly reminded of his first year when Voldemort had said almost the very same thing.

"I-" Harry paused, thinking. "No. Not yet. Prove to me that you aren't evil or change your ways. I refuse to join you and I will fight tooth and nail if you try to make me."

"Do you know what I'm offering you, boy?" Voldemort hissed, switching into parseltongue.

"Why yes, I think I do. I know that if you really wanted to kill, you would've done so ages ago, but here we are." Harry hissed back.

"Blasted boy. I will give you a month and if you choose not to join me then you _**will**_ be dead before you can finish your sentence." Voldemort promised and Harry looked away.

"I just want to be okay. I'm tired of being lied to or having things be omitted. Promise not to lie or omit anything from me."

"How do you know I won't break my word?" Voldemort asked dangerously.

"Your pride." Harry shrugged and Voldemort nodded thoughtfully.

"Do you want to know of the progress the war is making?" Voldemort offered, surprising Harry.

"Yes, but not directly involved. If I do join you then I want to be your equal, not a servant."

"Hmm, so demanding. You do know I could kill you without second thought, right?" Harry shrugged again.

"Yet here we are." Harry pointed out again.

"So you've said." Voldemort said blankly. "But if you were to join me, what are you going to be if not a follower?" Harry frowned thoughtfully.

"I don't know, honestly." Harry said, running a hand through his messy black hair. "Do I have to be anything? Couldn't I just stay behind the scenes and help?" Voldemort regarded him seriously.

"You don't want the recognition; I should have known." Voldemort shook his head. "Fine, if you want to join then you shall merely be known as a secret accomplice, although almost everyone will know or figure it out eventually."

"Better than being a Death Eater." Harry said quietly and the older man frowned.

"Is it truly that bad to be a Death Eater?" Harry chuckled at the question.

"Look who you are talking to, Lord Darkness. Sworn enemy, remember?"

"I assume you're right, but watch your tongue and do not call me Lord Darkness, though that is a favorable name; Call me Voldemort and it is you, my supposed equal, and you alone who may call me such." Voldemort said, shutting Harry up and reminding him where he is.

"Thank you, Voldemort." Harry forced out, knowing that it was only polite.

"But you never answered the question, what is so bad about being a Death Eater?"

"Well, for one, it's demeaning to get down on your hands and knees to kiss a dark lord's robes and not everyone is a masochist." Harry explained a bit.

"Yet the Death Eaters keep coming back for more." Voldemort smirked, taking a page out of Harry's book.

"Maybe so, but…" Harry hesitated, realizing he was about to give the enemy advice. But when was the last time he was happy with the Light? Steeling his resolve, Harry knew he would give this a shot. "You are scaring off possible Death Eaters. People get scared when you kill muggles and wizards because they thinking that you'll go after them if they appear in your ranks, plus most people don't like the murders, it goes against their morals. I know blood must be spilt in war, but you should definitely stop the unnecessary bloodshed." Harry stated, wondering how many lives he may have just saved.

"Muggles," Voldemort spat in disgust. "They only hinder us because we must hide our existence from them."

"Well, can you not at least leave them alone until wizards are stronger?" Voldemort inhaled sharply.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, you must realize how easily they could wipe us out?" Seeing Voldemort's blank face, Harry sighed. "They have bombs, Voldemort. Ones that could take out miles of homes and cause death from radiation. Ever heard of the atomic bombs dropped in World War Two?'

"Vaguely. I had no idea they could do that kind of damage." Voldemort said, horrified.

"Well, they can and will if necessary. You exposing the wizarding world by killing muggles isn't helping." Harry said tiredly.

"I understand. I will call off the raids for now, but I _**will**_ eradicate them. Some day." Harry shook his head, eyes closing.

"Do whatever you want, Voldemort." Harry said with a yawn, the next moment later he was asleep.

"You had better know that I will, Harry Potter." Voldemort said softly, watching Harry's chest rise and fall rhythmically before gently picking the boy up and carrying him to a guest room next to his own. He laid him onto the bed with a foreign gentleness and pulled the covers over Harry's tired body. Why would he do this? He had no answer other than because he want to. Turning quickly, he was out as fast as he had come.

What he didn't know was Harry had been in the twilight of sleep and had felt being picked up and put in bed. That night Harry dreamed of a red-eyed savior.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for not updating earlier, but sometimes it happens lol. I went to see The Gallows Friday night (great movie btw) and I went to the county fair last night, so I haven't had much time, but thank you all so much for your reviews and for following this story. Enough, remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Repeat with the next chapter. Enjoy!

Warnings: this chapter has gore that I'm sure you've seen worse of in movies and mild language, so if you're some kid playing around, this may be a chapter to skip.

" **Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision." ~Ayn Rand**

 **Chapter 3: Baby steps**

There were many first in life: first child, first marriage, first love, first job; these things are considered essential moments in every person's life. Harry didn't know it, but he could've guessed that none of these would've been his had the Death Eaters not saved him.

The second day of his freedom/imprisonment was interesting, to say the least. Harry was woken up at promptly 7:30 A.M. and was made to clean up, though he was surprised to find himself almost completely healed, minus a few bumps and bruises, all before breakfast was served in the large dining room that he had been introduced to the day before. This time when he walked into the room, however, there was an obvious seat for him and he tried to walk with confidence, so as not to make a bloody fool out of himself, again. What he didn't intend was for the seat he was required to sit in to be right next to Voldemort with a grumpy-looking Lucius Malfoy in the seat next to his.

"Ah, good morning, dear Harry." Harry's eyes widened at Voldemort's fake and almost hysterical greeting, well, until Voldemort switched into parseltongue and hissed: "They assume I'm insane and that is how I want it to stay, so you had better respect me or I will show you how truly crazy I can be." The dangerous, red-eyed man threatened. Harry stumbled and looked at Voldemort in absolute horror, then he swallowed hard.

"Ye-yes, Voldemort." Harry hissed, then he noticed how the Death Eaters were staring at him and quickly walked to his seat.

"So, Harry," Voldemort said in mock pleasantness. "Oatmeal?"

Harry looked down the table and noticed how some of the obviously lower ranked Death Eaters fidgeted, smirking Harry answered with a too sweet, "Please?"

"That's better." Voldemort hissed approvingly.

After that, things were somewhat settled and were over quicker than they started. As Harry was finishing, Voldemort decided to speak.

"My loyal followers, we have some things in need of discussion. Go forth to the throne room, except for you, Wormtail." He said with a sneer. The room cleared quickly until all that was left was Wormtail, Harry, and Voldemort. "Oh, Wormtail, hand me your arm, please." Voldemort said gleefully. Wormtail hurried over, shooting quick looks towards Harry and nearly pissing himself when he hand his arm to the Dark Lord. Suddenly, Wormtail fell to his knees in pain and Harry smothered a grin at seeing the man who had caused his parents' death in pain. After what seemed like an eternity to Wormtail, but it wasn't long enough for Harry.

"Voldemort!" The man turned, eyes blazing and Harry knew that if he didn't play this well, then he had just made a fatal mistake.

"What?!"

"I-you want me on your side, right?" Harry asked, swallowing hard. The man's gaze slowly cooled and became calculating.

"I do."

"Let me kill Wormtail." Harry growled, glaring at the quivering mass on the floor.

"And what will you give me?" Voldemort asked calmly. Harry paused, thinking.

"I…I don't know, I have no bargaining chip other than my allegiance and I'm not ready for that." Harry said softly, giving Voldemort some pause.

"Harry, Harry, Harry." Voldemort tsked. "I will let you go this time, but next time I expect something back. You're lucky I'm no longer in need of the bloody rat." Voldemort said carelessly as Wormtail squeaked and clearly became wet.

"Disgusting." Harry muttered, casting an anti-animagus spell. Circling, he smirking at the ugly, pitiful man. "I've waited so long for this. " He whispered in Wormtail's ear. "Accio Wormtail's stomach." Harry laughed as Peter writhed in pain.

"No more, my lord, please!"

"Quit whining!" Harry huffed, kicking the rat bastard. "Diffindo." Harry cast at Pettigrew's crotch, giggling wildly as blood began to bleed through his trousers and the rat cried and pleaded once more for help, but Voldemort just stood there in amazement.

"Very good, Harry. I didn't expect this so soon." Voldemort said in delight, but Harry just looked at him, all traces of laughter gone.

"Don't expect it again." Harry said, returning his gaze to Wormtail's body. _'It's not enough. I want it to be painful, for him to feel physically what I've felt emotionally.'_ Harry thought, raising his wand once more. "Expulso." Harry whispered at last, hearing Wormtail's last cry of 'help' before his body exploded, blood everywhere.

"Simply amazing. So creative, too, how long have you thought about killing my servant?" Voldemort asked a grim Harry, who stood there numbly.

"Since third years, since I found out that he's the reason my parents were killed." Harry said, raising his wand to clean the mess. "Evan-"

"Wait." Voldemort said, covering Harry's hand with his own. "If you are to be my equal, then seeing you and I covered in the blood of your enemy will gain you respect among the ranks." Harry sighed tiredly, though he felt alive. He'd never wanted to kill anyone, hell he had wanted to stay _**out**_ of the war, but seeing Wormtail alive and well when Sirius was lying dead somewhere made Harry see red.

"Okay." Harry said, more to himself than Voldemort, but he was lead quickly into the throne room and they stopped before the wide double doors.

"Stay close to me, Harry, and keep your head held high. You are supposed to be my equal; act like it." With that, the doors were thrown open and Voldemort swept in with a flourish, Harry at his side. There were many stares and not-so-quiet whispers about they're being covered in blood.

They arrived at the throne and Voldemort sat, while Harry stood quietly beside him. "Quiet, all of you." Voldemort demanded and the Death Eaters grew silent. "Severus, report."

Snape walked a few steps until he was in front of Voldemort, though Harry was pleased to see the arse bend on his hands and knees to kiss Voldemort's robes. "My lord, I was going to tell you that Harry Potter is missing, however I see that it would be foolish now." Snape said blandly, though Harry could feel Snape's stare boring into him through the mask. "Dumbledore and the order have found out and realized he is gone and have begun their search for him. They are trying very hard to keep this out of the press, but at this point they're almost sure that he's either been captured by you or dead." Snape finished.

"Ah, so you've seen Harry." Smirked Voldemort. "He is currently deciding whether to join us or die." He announced to the Death Eaters who cheered loudly. Voldemort raised a hand to quiet them and quickly returned to business. "Now, Severus, go and tell Dumbledore that Harry isn't here." Before Snape could leave, Harry grabbed Voldemort's hand, hearing many gasps elicited from the Death Eater crowd.

"He's a traitor! Don't let him leave, Voldemort. He's truly not on your side." Harry hissed in parseltongue and Voldemort himself gasped, before turning those burning eyes on Snape.

"So you think you can trick me? No more! Crucio!" Voldemort exploded in fury, watching with pleasure the pain on Snapes normally blank face as he let the curse go on and on before finally hissing: "Avada Kedavra." The other Death Eaters just stared in shock at Snape's now dead body. "Leave, all of you, now. Oh, and Lucius? Take the body with you and clean up your dining room before lunch; also, be sure to pay the Daily Prophet to run a story about Harry's disappearance, but do not let them know where he is or if he's even alive."

"Yes, my lord." Lucius quickly fled the room with the rest of Voldemort's followers.

"How did you know for sure, Harry?" Voldemort asked tiredly and collapsed on the throne chair.

"He was in the order, not as your spy, but as their spy. Plus, when he was ripping my mind open in Occlumency classes, I got to see into his mind. He was definitely on Dumbledore's side."

"For not being sure on whether you want to join me or not, you are quite helpful." Voldemort said, raising an invisible brow.

"Well, I figure that if I join or die, I might as well help a bit. I'm not a Death Eater, I'm not going to kill, not after Wormtail, and I'm not going to directly participate in war. Snape was a spy that I knew of and, though he was talented, I believe that he was dangerous to your cause and, if I choose it, my cause. I don't want to help rule a dying cause." Harry said sensibly while Voldemort let out a rare, sincere chuckle.

"Why, Harry, that's almost Slytherin of you." Voldemort smirked.

"Yea, so I've heard." Harry said with a small smile. Who would've thought he'd smile or that Voldemort would laugh? "But maybe we should get cleaned up for lunch."

"Yes, alright." Voldemort murmured, waving his hand dismissively. "Meet me in the study I took you to yesterday, I want to show you something and we will be having lunch in there." Harry nodded, leaving.

He went to 'his' bedroom to grab clothes. He had no idea how they knew his size nor did he know how they found such wonderful clothes, but he took them with gratefulness. It wasn't until he stepped into the shower that he realized what he'd done. He'd killed Pettigrew! _**Killed**_. Remembering it, he started crying because, by Merlin, he'd liked it and that scared it him the most. He wasn't a killer, was he? _Well, I guess I am now_ , Harry thought despairingly. But…he'd made Voldemort proud and, though the man wouldn't admit it, Harry had seen the glimmer of pride in the man's eyes. That, to Harry, was something he craved, needed, and he would do almost anything to get it. Almost, besides having a loved one hurt or killing again, Harry didn't think his sanity could handle it.

When the water suddenly began to run cold, Harry left the warmth of the shower and dressed in a pair of silvery robes, lined with black trim. They were stunning and he loved their silky feel. ' _My new favorites.'_ Harry thought with a smile.

"Hello." Harry said brightly, entering Voldemort's study.

"Hello, Harry." Voldemort said softly, then looked at Harry's outfit.

"Do you like them? I think they're my new favorites." Harry said quietly.

"I do." Voldemort gave Harry an almost invisible smile. "They used to be mine when I was 17."

"How old are you?" Harry asked curiously.

"I'm technically 69, but because I was forced to re-absorb part of my 16 year old horcrux when you murdered my diary, my body is most likely in its thirties. Are you hungry?" Voldemort asked and Harry was surprised how civil the man could be when they were alone. He liked it much better than the apparently fake psycho he dealt with when they were around others.

"I am, but what are horcruxes?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Nittily! Bring lunch, and something light on the stomach for Harry." Immediately food appeared on a long coffee table that also appeared. There was sandwiches, juice, tea, fruits, soup, yoghurt, and steamed broccoli. It was all so normal, Harry couldn't possibly imagine such a strange situation, but here they were.

Once they finished their respective meals, Voldemort had apparently decided on telling Harry the truth. "Do you still want to know about horcruxes?"

"I do."

"Then make yourself comfortable. Before I truly begin, I want you to know that this story, my life story, is not to be spoken of ever again, but you must know it in order to even possibly understand my action. I'm trusting you, you won't live long if you break it." Voldemort advised, then he launched into the story. "I was born in 1926 at a small orphanage in the shadiest part of London, my mother died immediately following my birth, so I never knew her nor my father who had left long before I was born. I was raised in the muggle orphanage and, much like you, they persecuted me for having magic, so I learned to hate them. By the time I got the invitation to Hogwarts, I was stealing the other kids' things, messing with them in the worst ways, and threatening their very lives. When I came to Hogwarts for the first time, I thought I had been saved, but that quickly turned out to be false when my own house hated me because of my muggle last name. That changed once I found the chamber of secrets in my later years at Hogwarts; you see, by finding it, I was obviously Slytherin's heir and that boosted my status among the ranks. Of course I realized I must be a half blood but it was overruled by the fact that I am Slytherin's heir, so I looked for Slytherin's family line trying to find some form of family that would accept and love me. Meanwhile, I was diving deeper into dark magic than ever before in my young quest for immortality and had come across something called a horcrux, which I later found out was a part of the soul that you split and out into an object that is special and you cannot die, no matter what. To test it out, I decided to use the basilisk in the chamber for my own, possibly not good, ideals and gains. When it killed moaning Mertle, I split my soul and put it in the diary and when I found what was left of the Slytherin line I almost vomited. Honestly, it was just my uncle left and he lived in a shack. It was quite easy to ask about my father, knock him out, and gain control of his wand and the precious stone they treasured so. I found my father quickly in a nearby village and decided to drop in, though I didn't expect such a rude greeting. They yelled, called me a liar, a bastard child, a mistake, and I couldn't take it. I killed them all without regret and made my second horcrux. All in all, I made four horcruxes after that and I keep them all over the country side. You are the only person still alive, other than Dumbledore, who knows my life story." Voldemort finished the story darkly and Harry, not knowing how else to comfort the man, got up and hugged him. Voldemort was startled at first but relaxed slowly.

"I know this doesn't mean much now," Harry said softly. "But I'll accept you. I can't kill again, or at least not for sport, but I do accept you. Not enough to join you, but…" Harry trailed off hesitantly.

"I understand, Harry. I-" Voldemort paused to collect himself properly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Harry said softly, then finally pulled back from the hug. "Now, what is it you were going to show me?"

"Now that, dear Harry, is a surprise." Voldemort said with a mischievous smirk.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you my many viewers and I appreciate your wonderful words. I actually hadn't meant to tell Voldemort's life story in the last chapter but I'm just going to roll with it *grins* anyway, remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Repeat with the next chapter.

Warnings: Very mild violence. And a bit of fluff for the viewers. ;)

" **I think kids want the same thing from a book that adults want - a fast-paced story, characters worth caring about, humor, surprises, and mystery. A good book always keeps you asking questions, and makes you keep turning pages so you can find out the answers." ~Rick Riordan**

 **Chapter 4: The simple magic of life**

Reading had never been Harry's passion. Maybe it's because the Dursley's had held him back in that regard, never allowing him to be smarter than the dull Dudley, or maybe it was because of the mistreatment he suffered from his previous teachers and Snape. Learning was, in general, just not something he was interested in. Therefore it was a great surprise when Voldemort guided him into a large library filled with many books ranging from muggle horror novels to magic of the blackest kind…and it was interesting.

"Welcome to my personal library." Voldemort said as Harry just took it all in.

"It's wonderful." Harry said quietly, then he giggled. "Romance novels? Really?" Harry pointed out some harlequins with a smothered laugh at Voldemort's glare.

"Yes really." Voldemort huffed and changed the subject. "Now, I know you don't want to be involved with the war, however I think it would benefit you to learn enough magic to protect yourself. Hogwarts" Voldemort sneered. "Has barely scraped the surface of your education." Harry groaned.

"What if when you teach me this, I manage to escape and fight for the Light Side?" Harry asked intensely and Voldemort gave him a calculating stare before smirking.

"You can't get past the wards. Even then, you've betrayed the Light Side by exposing their little spy, do you really think they'd take you back?"

"Maybe not, but I could make my own side." Voldemort's eyes narrowed.

"No." He said simply, then started pulling out books: _Occlumency for beginners, Dark Magic and its origin, Gruesome Curses for the Not-So-Fairytale Creatures,_ and _Understanding the Pureblood Prejudices._

Harry stared for a long moment and the pile of books, then shook his head and looked over at the muggle books. "May I take a muggle book as well?"

"Yes, but you may not read it until you read the other books."

"Okay." Harry said softly, browsing the muggle books until one caught his eye. _Pride & Prejudice_, the title said and Harry was interested.

"Ah, a good book and a classic. Tell me what you think of it when you finish it." Voldemort said with a knowing smirk.

"How long do I have to read the books?" Harry asked, eyes still on the worn muggle book.

"Preferably no more than a few weeks, however I will give you as much time as I think you should have. In addition to those books, you will be training daily with the Death Eaters and, on occasion, me." Voldemort gave him a feral grin and Harry swallowed hard.

"Training for the war?"

"Training your reflexes for if you need to feet. You must understand that being near me is a dangerous thing because the Light is trying to constantly target me. Should they ever find and try to break into my manor, you would be at risk and you need to be able to protect yourself if I'm not there."

"And who said I need you to protect me?" Harry asked with raised brows.

"Please." Voldemort snorted. "You don't nearly know enough magic to get out of that situation alive."

"Yet I somehow always managed to escape you." Harry said pointedly.

"Maybe so, but that was luck. What if your luck fails?" Harry frowned.

"It never has before."

"Well, you never know when it can fail." Voldemort said triumphantly.

"Fine, I concede to your point." Harry said grudgingly. "But I still feel that it won't."

"Feel what you may, but you're getting training." Voldemort said sternly. "Now get started, you can choose which one to start first. Not the muggle book." Voldemort reminded and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He picked up the Dark Arts book and opened it while Voldemort left. Five long, painful hours passed and he wasn't even half way through the large, old book, but finally his reprieve came with dinner.

"Potter." Voldemort said from his usual place at the head of the table. Harry inclined his head and sat in his designated seat. The Death Eaters, mostly different from the Death Eaters that attended breakfast, goggled at him and Bellatrix almost had a fit before she remembered herself.

Once again there was soup, surprisingly it was a vegetable soup, though the vegetables were thinly cut. Harry knew that Voldemort was slowly introducing him to solid foods due to his malnourishment, he could even taste the nutrient potions in his soup and juice because they weren't well hidden and gave the soup a bitter taste, but Harry endured it.

"Lucius," Voldemort called, wiping his mouth delicately with a napkin.

"Yes, my Lord?" Lucius said eagerly.

"Tomorrow I want you to start training Harry and I want your young Draco to train, too." Voldemort said unexpectedly and Harry fought back a groan at the idea of spending time with the Malfoy's.

"My Lord, if I may, I think Draco has surpassed Potter in his training."

"Crucio." Voldemort said calmly, but Harry could see the fierce anger hidden in the crazed eyes.

Lucius fell to the floor, writhing in pain and Harry desperately wished it would stop. Not just because he hated seeing the normally proud Malfoy Lord begging in pain, but also because of the distinctly painful burning in his scar that was intensified by distance. Finally Harry had enough when he felt blood start to leak from his scar.

"Stop, please!" Harry's voice seemed amplified in the atmosphere, but he could care less. Voldemort cancelled the curse and looked at Harry in anger before he noticed the blood.

"Does this happen often?" Voldemort hissed in parseltongue, inspecting the scar.

"Sometimes." Harry hissed back. Ever since his kidnapping, his scar had stung constantly, but tonight it had reached its peak.

"I shall endeavor to be more careful." Voldemort hissed quietly, then pointed his wand at Harry's scar and, before Harry could react, whispered a spell that made Harry's pain melt away and he sighed in relief, not having realized how badly his scar had been hurting.

"Thank you." Harry hissed, hiding a smile, Voldemort merely smirked before turning back to Lucius.

"You are lucky, Lucius, that Harry stopped me." Voldemort paused before laughing hysterically. "Ah, to see you in pain!" He suddenly grew serious. "If Harry is behind Draco in their studies then I expect you to get him up to basics. Do not disappoint me or what you just felt will be like child's play." He smirked dangerously.

"I will not fail you, my Lord." Lucius said blankly, composed as ever.

"Good. Dismissed." Voldemort waved his hand and the Death Eaters scattered out. "Before you return to your room, will you accompany me for a walk on the grounds?" Voldemort requested, though it sounded more like a command.

Harry raised his brows and looked at Voldemort suspiciously before nodding. "That would be lovely. I would like very much to explore the grounds."

Voldemort extended his arm and Harry took it awkwardly. They walked out of the manor and Harry noticed that it was a clear, starry night and that the moon was not quite full. The night was cool, as most summer nights were, and there was an air of tranquility surrounding the manor.

"I can see why you'd want to come out here, it's beautiful." Harry said softly.

"It is." Voldemort smirked, looking at the moon. "But I normally come out for a nightly walk anyway because it makes me feel closer to my magic."

"Understandable." Harry chuckled, looking around more. "Is that a lake?" He asked, pointing out a large body of water.

"No, it's a pond. A large pond, but a pond none the less." Voldemort chuckled and Harry grinned mischievously before unhooking his arm from Voldemort's and running towards the pond.

"What are you doing?!" He heard Voldemort calling and just laughed.

"I'm having fun!" Harry yelled, kicking off his shoes and throwing his robes and shirt to the ground before diving in. Ah, he'd missed the water. He had only gone swimming very few times in his life, but he had always enjoyed it. The last time he'd gotten to swim was during the second task of the fourth year tri-wizard tournament, and even then he hadn't gotten to enjoy it. But _**this**_ , oh now this he would enjoy. Surfacing, he seen Voldemort standing there with crossed arms and smiled.

"Come on in, the water's perfect."

"Are you insane?"

"No, but you're supposed to be." Harry grinned. "Come on, do something spontaneous for once in your life. You want immortality, but you're not really living. I'm not going to tell anyone, I promise." Voldemort looked skeptical and Harry pulled himself out of the water, holding his hand out. "Follow me." Harry said, green eyes unintentionally sparkling. Finally Voldemort took his hand.

"It's been a long time since I've been swimming, I had better not drown or I'll come back and kill you." Voldemort threatened, releasing Harry's hand to be rid of his robes and shirt. He grabbed Harry's hand once more and kicked off his shoes.

"I won't let you go." Harry said softly. "On the count of three, we jump. 1, 2…3!" Harry cried, jumping into the pond, pulling Voldemort with him. When they surfaced, Voldemort had to chuckle at how Harry looked waterlogged. Helping, he moved the hair away from Harry's eyes.

"See?" Harry asked, beaming. "It's not so bad."

"No," Voldemort said in amusement. "It's not. But you had better run for trying to drown me!" Voldemort yelled jokingly and Harry squeaked and tried to swim away before was caught and dunked underwater.

"Stop!" Harry laughed, surfacing. "I'm going to drown!"

"Eye for an eye." Voldemort said evilly, picking Harry up bridle-style and plopping him into the water.

"Hey!" Harry cried, surfacing once more. "That's it, I'm going to get you!" Harry splashed Voldemort, making the Dark Lord cough and splutter before making a large splash back.

"Got you!" Voldemort laughed as it was Harry's turn to get water in his face.

"Right!" Harry said sarcastically, before splashing back. "This is war!"

And for once in his life, Voldemort didn't have to think about it, he just had fun. _**Fun.**_ It almost seemed like a foreign language but he couldn't help but enjoy every minute of it.

"Eep!" Harry yelled as he tried to leave the pond because he was losing. Voldemort quickly caught up with him and tackled him onto the grass.

"My god, is fun always like this?" Voldemort asked brightly and Harry giggled.

"Of course, now get off!" Harry laughed and Voldemort rolled off of the boy, with a smile on his face. Laying there on the soft grass, all they could do was stare up at the stars, both wondering how things could've changed so much in such a short amount of time.

"This isn't how I intended this evening to go." Voldemort commented, turning his head to smile at Harry.

"Maybe so, but I'm sure that this was better." Harry said, rolling onto his stomach and staring into Voldemort's eyes.

"Most definitely so." Voldemort said, amused.

"How long has it been since you've had that much fun?"

"A long, long time, if I ever had fun at all. And you?" Voldemort asked with a raised, hairless brow.

"Never." Harry admitted sheepishly. "If I had known how fun you could be, I may have joined the Dark Side when I was eleven."

"Ah, but I doubt this would've happened had you joined at that age, but are you saying you join me now?" Voldemort asked greedily and Harry rolled his eyes.

"In your daydreams." Harry muttered with a chuckle.

"I will wait, then." Voldemort said, wrapping his arms around Harry and gently pulling him towards Voldemort.

They laid there in the peace of the night until both felt the effects of the long day and their rough housing making them tired. Pulling Harry closer still they both fell asleep, not noticing a House Elf popping next to them and laying a blanket on their bodies before disappearing into the late night.

When the sun did rise, it blinded them both into waking and Voldemort woke seconds before Harry, yawning slightly but not bothering to change their position. When Harry woke he stiffened until he realized who was holding him. For a second he had thought it was uncle Vernon, but then he realized the body was slimmer and his memories of last night came to him.

"Morning." Harry said, yawning lazily.

"Good morning, Harry." Voldemort grinned at him and Harry smiled back. Last night something…magical had happened. Somehow, in some way, he had broken a few of Voldemort's barriers and had gotten to see the man behind the monster and Harry could honestly say he liked the man. The way he laughed and smiled was something Harry wanted to strive to see and hear again.

"I would say we should do this again tonight, but it's kind of rough to sleep on the ground all night." Harry said, cracking his neck theatrically.

"Agreed." Voldemort said with a wince as he got up and helped Harry up as well. They collected their clothes, shoes and wands, heading back to the manor.

"Ugh, Maybe We should rethink swimming in our pants next time." Harry muttered, his pants still slightly wet and uncomfortable.

"Well, it was your idea." Voldemort said, chuckling softly.

"What a sight we must make!" Harry said playfully. "Two wet, half naked enemies laughing together as if we're old friends."

"Ah, but we're not truly enemies anymore are we?" Voldemort asked, nudging Harry just as playfully.

"Hmm, let me think…" Harry paused dramatically, then squeaked as Voldemort shoved him hard. "Oi! If you act like that then maybe we are." Harry huffed, letting Voldemort helped him up.

"I do so apologize, I'm clearly out of my element here." Voldemort sighed and Harry patted his back gently.

"It's alright, dear Voldemort, I forgive you." Harry gave him a small smile, before sighing. "However we must part now, dear Voldemort. I doubt you'll want the Death Eaters to see you like this at breakfast." Voldemort grimaced.

"I suppose you are right, so I shall see you there." Harry smiled and nodded before they split up and Harry took a quick shower to wash off the pond water and changed. There were many things Harry could think about but he truly didn't want to dwell too much. After all, last time he dwelled on things, he had constant nightmares and was depressed and had nearly gotten himself addicted to dreamless sleep potion. No, Harry would just 'go with the flow' and whatever happened would happen. He could think on it later when in a different, better place in his life.

Slowly, Harry made his way to the dining room. It was easy to find because of the delicious smell emanating from the room and he had been there most in the manor. When he seen Voldemort waiting for him, Harry's heart began to race, but he forced it to slow.

"Harry!" Voldemort's delighted cackle made Harry crack a small smile as he found his seat and took it.

"Lord Voldemort." Harry said pleasantly back and the Death Eaters gasped at his seeming audacity.

"Ah, you do love messing with my Death Eaters, don't you?" Voldemort hissed in Parseltongue and Harry smirked.

"I admit that I do." Harry hissed back before eyeing his breakfast. This morning it was a creamy soup that was very thick but tasted wonderful, even with the potions. He would've eaten faster had Voldemort not subtly stopped him, forcing him to eat slower. As always, breakfast was a relatively silent affair until Voldemort decided to speak.

"Lucius, I assume your training room is prepared for Harry and Draco?" Voldemort inquired blandly.

"Indeed, it has been, my Lord. When do you want them to begin?" Lucius asked softly, not wanting to anger Voldemort again.

"Now. You are all dismissed." Voldemort said and Harry gulped. Looking at Lucius, then at Voldemort, he shook his head.

"Please come early and save me from the Malfoy's." Harry hissed pleadingly in parseltongue and Voldemort sighed.

"I shall come early, if you insist, however it will be just this once." Voldemort hissed firmly and Harry said a quiet 'thank you' to his savior.

Getting up, Lucius put a hand on Harry's shoulder, guiding him to an apparation point. The last thing Harry seen before being sucked up into the apparation tube was glowing red eyes and the handsome, but blank face of the man who he was slowly coming to know.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Wow. Just wow. If I may, I would just like to thank Dracfirewolves for following this story so faithfully and reviewing for almost every chapter! :D Last chapter was also a blast to write (I was listening to upbeat, romantic music on Spotify and outside so my vibe was off the charts.) and I'm so sorry if I made a mistake or if it didn't sound right, but like I said in the first chapter, no beta. Also, I know that Harry seems a bit bi-polar and Voldemort, too, but I think it just makes them better suited for each other, plus abuse is a very serious matter that can mess with a person's mind. Well, now that that is out of the way, remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Repeat with the next chapter!

Warning: Nothing too bad, for now ;)

" **One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives." ~Euripides**

 **Chapter 5: Friends?**

It's amazing how life can change your perspective, isn't it? Life is ever changing, ever growing, with twists and turns that turn your ideas into nonsensical thoughts that you eventually forget. Sometimes it is amazing how strange and wonderful life can be when you realize that how you look at things is just wrong. It makes life simpler, I think.

Harry had never thought he could be wrong about the Malfoy's, but then again, he felt he'd been wrong about Voldemort, so he would give the blond family a shot. If anything, he'd give it a shot for Voldemort-

THUMP!

Harry crashed hard onto the cold marble floor of the new manor. Getting up, he noticed that this home somehow looked more extravagant than the one that Voldemort stayed at. Gold trimming lined the walls and the portraits were similar to the ones at the Dark Lord's manor and Harry guessed that this was the Malfoy's second home. ' _Trust the Malfoy's to have a back-up home.'_ Harry thought with a snort.

"Something funny, boy?" Lucius growled through his teeth and tightening his jaw as if to stop his self from biting Harry.

"Call me 'boy' again, Lucius, and next time I won't stop him from torturing you, even if that means I'll be in pain." Harry hissed back in English. In honesty, Harry didn't know if he was bluffing, but he kept a menacing look on his face. Satisfaction came when the older blond winced and swallowed hard.

"Fine, Potter. Follow me." Without waiting for a reply, Lucius turned on his heel and stalked towards a pair of mahogany doors that opened into a bright space with large windows and everything needed for wizarding training. Besides the training tools, there were also training dummies. In Harry's opinion, the biggest dummy there was Draco Malfoy, who stood there scowling with his arms crossed.

"Potter, stand over there. For my first lesson, I want to see how good, or bad," Lucius gave him a pointed look and Draco covered his snort with a cough. "Your dueling skills are. I Think dueling skills are essential to dark wizards, more so than any spell, because if you freeze and forget what spells to use, you may at least have a chance by weaving and ducking against their spells; tiring an opponent out and gaining control of the duel. Any questions?" The look on Lucius' face told him not to even think about asking a question, so he just nodded.

"Father, may I help you duel against Potter? Maybe two versus one would help you to further determine his skills?" Draco asked, throwing a smug smile at Harry.

"Very well, Draco. Safe word is 'darkness' and if you don't use it, I'll keep going. The only spell excluded from this assessment is the killing curse, other than that it is fair game, understand?" Lucius looked to Harry first, getting a conformation nod, then he looked to Draco who also nodded, looking surprised. "Good, now get in the dueling stance."

Once everyone was ready, Harry bowed and the Malfoy men bowed back. Almost immediately after, Draco smirk and yelled, "Silencio!" and the duel began with Harry ducking, blocking, and even getting a few spells through that injured Draco, but Lucius remained unhurt. After twenty or so minutes, Harry began getting tired and Draco did as well. With an understanding look between them, it was a truce unsaid.

"Darkness." They said at the same time and Lucius smirked at the sweaty boys and looked almost untouched by the duel.

"Very good, Potter. I must say, those reflexes are well trained." Lucius said, taking Harry's abilities in stride. "However, both of you need to build endurance and strength, as well as strength. Other than that, I have a few criticisms for each of you." Lucius said before looking at his son. "Draco, I've seen you take big strides in your training but I have told you time and time again to block with your unused hand that way you can avoid things like this." Malfoy senior gestured to Draco's cut cheek. "As for you, Potter, I must say you did incredibly well for not being so trained. Unfortunately, you need to be quicker and more forthcoming with your spells and block less. Don't let your opponent have time to cast more spells than you." Harry nodded quietly.

"Father, are we going to train now? Or do you have to return Potter?" Draco asked tiredly.

"Well, since you seem so eager, we might as well start." Lucius smirked and they groaned, Harry elbowing Draco.

"Good going, Malfoy."

"It isn't my fault." Draco huffed, but Harry merely looked unimpressed.

"We may as well get to work." Harry sighed tiredly. "What must we do?"

"Jumping the rings, sparring in the pit, climbing the rope, running laps around the room, and a couple of other routines, but we only do a couple a day." Draco said to a pale Harry.

"I am going to die." Harry muttered and Draco smirked.

"You'll wish, Potter." Harry eyed the strange blond.

"Why are you being so…civil?" Harry questioned.

"Why not? Weasley isn't here and I've forgiven you for turning me down in first year." Harry just gave him another unimpressed look. "What?! It was a big hit to my ego; I had so looked forward to you being my friend and then that prat showed up and you just _**had**_ to pick him over me." Draco said defensively.

"Oh, come on. You were the biggest prat there ever were! The first time I met you, I thought you were too much like my spoiled cousin, Dudley, to ever be friends with you." Harry huffed to a now pale Draco.

"That fat whale-like boy?" Draco asked and Harry's eyes narrowed.

"How do you know about him?" Draco smirked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Draco asked smugly, but Harry was having none of it. Grabbing Draco's robes, he pulled the boy dangerously close.

"Tell me!" Harry demanded in a mix between Parseltongue and English.

Frightened, Draco replied quickly: "The night my father went to get you on the Dark Lord's orders, he found your fat cousin pigging out in the kitchen in front of some kind of ice box. After he captured you, he emptied his memories into his pensieve and I snuck into his office and looked at them. I'm sorry, I honestly didn't know what they contained or else I wouldn't have looked at them. Please, I'm sorry." At Draco's apology's, Harry let him go with a sigh.

"It's okay, Draco." Harry said, then hesitated. "Truce?"

"Truce. Now, come on, we need to get done before lunch."

They continued with their training and Harry had to admit it wasn't as bad as had thought it would be to spend time with the Malfoy men. Lucius was a wonderful trainer, if a bit harsh, and Draco was a very agreeable acquaintance, once it came down to it. An Hour before lunch, Harry and Draco were sparring hard in a bowl-like pit and that is where Voldemort found them.

Clearing his throat, he called out, "Harry?" All at once, every eye in the room was on the very amused Dark Lord.

"Hi." Harry grinned at Voldemort, pulling himself out of the pit carefully.

"My Lord, his training for the day isn't-"

Voldemort raised a hand. "I care not if the training has finished for the day, Harry requested that I come early and I have." Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around the man who started to reciprocate before pushing him away gently. "You stink." Voldemort chuckled, making a face.

"You would, too, if you were exerted so extremely." Harry huffed, sticking his tongue out and ignoring the horrified gasps from the Malfoy's.

"I'll cut it off." Voldemort said, raising his wand and Harry quickly pulled his tongue in, flushing. "Anyway, Lucius, I will be taking him back with me today, but every other day should be normal since I see that you don't plan on torturing the boy." Voldemort said, eyes twinkling with laughter.

"Yes, my Lord." Lucius bowed deeply and Draco mimicked the movement.

"Good. Harry? Grab my arm." With that the world spun and they suddenly landed back at the manor, in Voldemort's personal library. "Lunch will be served soon so you may want to change, but afterwards I expect you to read the books I assigned you, then dinner and our walk. This will be your schedule every day from now on until you finish your education, understood?" Harry rolled his eyes, but gave Voldemort a small grin.

"I understand. So I'm not going back to Hogwarts, am I?" Harry asked slyly.

"Of course not, you'll be 'rescued' and I can't have that happen." Voldemort said quickly, glaring at Harry for mentioning it.

"Okay, okay." Harry said, raising his hands in defeat. "But I'd better go change before lunch." Harry said, skipping out of the room with a bewildered Voldemort left behind.

"I sometimes think he may be more insane that I am." Voldemort muttered, shaking his head and pulling out some papers that needed his attention.

Meanwhile Harry was thinking about the very man. Suddenly dread and guilt made his skipping stutter to a stop and Harry felt sick. What was he doing? All the people Voldemort was killing and had killed…Harry had deluded himself into thinking it didn't exist but the fact remained that it did. It did…he was suddenly happy that he hadn't joined Voldemort yet, but how was he supposed to act? The moral part said 'He's disgusting, run! He killed your parents!' But then there was another voice, a louder one yelling at the top of its lungs 'But he's not all bad! He saved you, idiot! And he is starting to like you, showing you something he's never showed anyone. You could save him, save the wizarding world, save everyone if you show him what it's like to live. The Prophesy said that neither can live while the other survives, so why don't you both live? Teach him. Teach him. Teach him.' His mind chanted and he tugged at his hair.

Could it be true? Could he teach Voldemort to live? Harry suddenly remembered the previous night, how much fun they'd had. In that moment, Voldemort had been alive, more alive than ever and it had been beautiful. But he struggled, torn. That small voice in the back of his head was persistent to the point that it gave him a headache.

Sighing, Harry groaned. _'This is exactly why I didn't want to think about this.'_ Harry thought, getting dressed slowly, though he was still sloppily wet from his shower. When he was finally dressed he cast the horrible thoughts from his head, almost begging for them to be gone. It was hard but he finally got rid of them and walked down stairs, stony faced.

Upon entering the dining room, Harry said nothing and he was surprised to see that he wasn't the last one to enter the room like he usually was. Finally sitting down, Harry seen that today's lunch would be a mixed berry soup with thick cream and a touch of honey. It was delicious and Harry was ecstatic that it had real berries. He knew that the potions were speeding things up, but this much? It was strange, but Harry liked it.

"Harry." He startled badly when a hand touched his shoulder.

"W-what?" Harry whispered, clutching his chest because of the mini-heart attack he'd suffered when Voldemort had touched him.

"Ah, Harry, I am sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, I just meant to ask why you were so silent." Voldemort hissed gently in Parseltongue and-could it be?- looking at him with…concern?

"I'm fine, just hungry. Relax." Harry hissed back softly, staring into those red eyes. That annoying little voice went up in a metaphorical puff of smoke and Harry found himself relaxing and smiling. Voldemort nodded slowly, turning to his followers.

"Yaxley, Bella, Evander, Hyde, I have a job for you." He paused and Harry watched the joy appear on the chosen Death Eater's face. It was sick wasn't it? "Go to the ministry and have some fun on the 31st. Use my mark to surround the ministry after you finish and do not get caught." Voldemort said dangerously. "But do enough to cause a distraction." The Death Eater's looked around joyously and Harry frowned.

"What are you up to?" Harry hissed, switching into Parseltongue.

"I want to celebrate your birthday with you and I don't want to use a disguise, but I also don't want to be caught. It's the only way." Voldemort hissed back and Harry's eyes widened, then narrowed.

"That's not all, is it?" Harry hissed and Voldemort smirked.

"Smart boy." The man praised with a serpent-like hiss. "Yes, I want Lucius to tell the world you've joined me."

"But I haven't!" Harry hissed angrily.

"But you will. Calm, Harry, it's all you need in this world." Voldemort hissed back gently and Harry felt himself calm.

"Fine." Harry hissed grouchily. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, now come. It's time to read." Voldemort said in English to the Death Eater's confusion.

"Yes, sir." Harry said, saluting him playfully and enjoying the Death Eater's surprised gasps.

"Go." Voldemort said dangerously and Harry high-tailed it out of the room, enjoying the mood when the thoughts of doubt were gone.

But that annoying voice would come back and Harry couldn't help but think, _'what if it's right?'_


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I feel like I'm all over the place with this story, however I hope to wrap up the loose ends soon. Thank you everyone; I treasure your kind words and that you've taken time out of your day to read my story. I love you all and remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Repeat with the next chapter. P.s. feel free to send me ideas for stories and I may choose to write a story based on your ideas, just keep in mind I mostly like the Harry Potter, Thor, and Twilight fandoms to write about, but I can sometimes go with off-the-wall fandoms.

Warning: planning some fluffiness this chapter and a bit of a surprise at the end that may have some violence.

" **If you learn how to forgive others for not being strong, then people can learn how to forgive you for your own issues." ~T. D. Jakes**

 **Chapter 6: A mess of his own making**

Demons. Everyone has them and there is no point in denying them, but how far will you go to accept them? Clumsy desire, righteous anger, and delirious jealousy were suffered from, wide and far, yet hidden away with painful anxiety. It is only those who acknowledge and accept their demons that have power within themselves, but it comes with the heavy cost of sanity.

Demons, as Harry was coming to find out, weren't merely vague representations of emotions that were reviled by society, but they were ugly creatures inside your heart-however cold it is-just waiting to consume your very soul. Scary thought, yes? Harry thought so.

As he remained at the Malfoy manor-turned Dark Lord's manor, Harry kept a tight schedule every day, alternating between training and studying. It was hard, exhausting work, but secretly his favorite part of the day was when he could just walk with Voldemort. Sometimes they talked and sometimes there was no need, they could just look at each other and it was as if they'd spoken a thousand words. Harry chalked it up to the mysterious link between their minds, but he still felt some shame for befriending his parents' killer; it was almost blasphemy, after all.

But today would be different. Tonight the selected Death Eaters would invade the ministry and word would get out through various newspapers that Harry had joined the Dark side-however untrue it may be at this point. At the same time overshadowing his birthday or perhaps bringing it to the forefront of the wizarding world. Harry was excited for his 16th birthday, of course, but he was also nervous for whatever the Dark Lord had planned to celebrate the occasion.

Truly getting to know Voldemort like no other before had been an interesting experience and at first they fought some, but it was to be expected. There were these moments with the Dark Lord, though, where Harry simply forgot the world outside of the manor and had carefree fun. In all his years, he had never been as carefree as he was. Maybe it was because he no longer had to watch his back from Voldemort or bear the burden of the war, either way he'd never been so happy or safe. Imagine that! Safer with his enemy than his supposed friends.

That was another thing, though. He missed them, somewhat, but he was glad to not have to protect them, listen to the constant nagging, be controlled or live with their jealousy. The only one he wished to talk to was Luna, but he knew that after tonight she may never speak to him again. His only solace was Draco's friendship, though he felt silly for initially turning the blond down in first year. Harry had actually become good friends with Draco and he'd seen Voldemort give Draco the evil eye on occasion, though Harry tried to tell him that he wasn't as close to Draco as he was to Voldemort, it never worked.

' _Speaking of Voldemort, I wonder where he is.'_ Harry thought, peeking into the wizard's empty office. He hadn't seen the man at breakfast either, which was very unusual, indeed. ' _Come to think of it, I haven't seen Lucius, either. They must be planning something.'_ Harry thought with a mischievous grin, deciding to go read the book he had gotten from Voldemort's library.

Hours later found Harry immersed in the worn copy of _Pride & Prejudice_. He was reading the part about Elizabeth telling Mr. Darcy that she refuses his marriage proposal when a loud throat clearing gained his attention.

"Er-Hi?" Harry stuttered at the sight of Voldemort's amused face.

"Slacking, Harry?" Harry frowned, had he not remembered Harry's birthday?

"Well, I didn't see Lucius and he didn't pick me up, so I decided to read."

"Lucius is busy today, but it is no matter." Voldemort said dismissively. "You should be reading something that will help you in the future, but maybe it's my fault for not letting you get another few books sooner. Come." Voldemort waved Harry and the boy groaned, but rolled off the bed, suddenly noting the time. It was three O'clock in the afternoon. ' _Must've missed lunch.'_ He thought vaguely, following Voldemort.

In the last week or so, Harry had, thankfully, been able to slowly come back to eating real food, the only catch was that he couldn't eat too much. He had found out the hard way, but was pleasantly surprised when Voldemort had helped him through it. In fact-

"Ah!" Harry yelped, falling into the older wizard who barely caught him before he hit the marble floor.

"Honestly, Harry, must you be so clumsy?" Voldemort asked in exasperation. Harry flushed and shoved Voldemort away.

"Leave me alone." Harry muttered and Voldemort chuckled.

"I doubt you want that and I don't either. Come on, Harry." Harry followed the older man but as soon as they entered the library, he noticed something off.

"What-" Suddenly the room shimmered and seemed to fly away and Harry cried out as his feet left the ground; only Voldemort's arms tight around his waist helped him to remain the least bit calm. Just as soon as it started, however, it was over and left Harry shaking.

"Happy birthday!" Yelled a crowd of people, startling the already shaky Harry. Looking around, Harry noticed the Malfoy's and Lestrange's, minus one member from each, and a couple of other Death Eater families, but then he seen blond hair and a dreamy smile and broke loose from Voldemort's tight grip.

"Luna! Oh, Luna, I thought you would hate me!" Harry cried desperately, hugging her tightly.

"Oh, Harry, even if the Jornuck's invaded, I would never hate you." Luna sighed dreamily, her eyes bright and unfocused.

"I've missed you." Harry chuckled before his eyes grew wide. "How did you get here?"

"Well, the Dark Lord got rid of some nargles and I told daddy and we came just in time for the party." She said, eyes focused for a second before going back to being unfocused. Harry turned and seen all the eyes on him, but his eyes were only for the blood red one's staring back at him.

"Thank you." Harry whispered in Parseltongue and Voldemort smirked, but Harry could see the smile in his eyes. "And thank you all, I've never had a surprise party!" Harry said in English to the small crowd.

The party was definitely more entertaining than any party the Weasley's had thrown him. There was the moment when they were cutting his birthday cake and Voldemort jokingly smeared icing on his face, only for Harry to retaliate by shoving an entire slice in Voldemort's face before running for it. Another fun moment came later in the evening when the booze came out and Crabbe and Goyle senior got drunk and started singing loudly and very off key. Overall the party was amazing and it seemed nobody wanted it to end because it kept going for hours. At almost ten O'clock at night, Harry decided to get some fresh air and went out into the garden. He had realized a while ago that he was at the Malfoy's second manor and he had been itching to go out into the garden. Normally he never had time due to his training, but tonight was different.

Opening the glass double doors, Harry slowly stepped out into the crisp night air, reveling in the silence. The garden was beautiful, it had shapely hedges and large fountains surrounded by flowers and every few steps there were lovely little rose bushes placed strategically around the stone walkway. On the edges of the garden there were apple trees and cherry blossoms lined up beautifully, completing the soft aura surrounding the garden. The sky was perfect tonight, the moon bright and the sky clear of everything but stars.

"Harry." Harry spun around to see Voldemort standing there.

"Hi." Harry breathed.

"What's wrong, Harry? Don't you like the party?" Voldemort asked quietly, his eyes intense.

"Of course. Oh Voldemort, I just wanted to get some fresh air." Harry said, seeming to sooth Voldemort's nerves.

"Oh." The Dark Lord said, looking out of place.

"Do you erm-Do you want to go for our walk? It's, uh, the perfect place." Harry said, flushing deeply and looking at the ground. ' _By Merlin, what am I doing?'_ Harry thought, shaking his head.

"I'd love to." Voldemort said with a smile, tilting Harry's chin up to see his red face. Harry smiled back and grabbed the older man's arm as they walked.

"Thank you again for throwing the party, I loved it." Harry sighed, resting his head on Voldemort's shoulder.

"I'll admit, I almost didn't do it, but I'm glad I did." Voldemort said softly, untangling his arm from Harry's and wrapping it around the boy's waist.

"Mmm, same." Harry mumbled, starting to get tired.

Voldemort moved them to a bench and sat Harry in his lap, carding his fingers through  
Harry's hair. "Sleep, Harry, it has been a long day." Taking his word for it, Harry snuggled his face into Voldemort's neck, sighing in contentment. Harry loved being so close to anyone, even this person, and he just felt so safe…

"Harry."

"Mmph."

"Harry?"

"Nngh."

"Harry!"

"What?!" Harry snapped, waking from a deep sleep and turning a glare on Draco who just rolled his eyes.

"I know you had a late night, but you need to wake up. The Dark Lord is requesting your presence at breakfast and there's something you need to know." Draco said with a huff, but Harry's eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"I can't tell you." Draco fidgeted.

"Fine, wait, where am I?" Harry asked, frowning. The room he had at the manor wasn't blue or this big.

"Malfoy manor. After you fell asleep, the Dark Lord brought you in and asked to stay in the guest room beside yours." Harry felt himself smile then frowned as Draco looked at him weirdly.

"What?" Harry asked in irritation.

"Nothing, it's just that you seem to get along with the Dark Lord and he's being unusually calm since you came here a few weeks ago." Draco said suspiciously.

"So?" Harry snapped.

"Are-are you in love with V-V-the Dark Lord?" Draco whispered, eyes wide.

"I-" Harry paused and swallowed hard. Did he love him? Could he? Could he even forgive the man for what he did to his parents? "I don't know, but even if I did, it can't amount to much." Harry said gloomily, gathering his clothes. He heard Draco leave quietly and quickly got dressed, but no matter what he did, Draco's words echoed in his head.

Harry was torn enough as it was to even forgive the man, but to love him? But he wanted it. Oh Merlin, he wanted to love the man. Up to this point in his life, all Harry wanted was to be safe and happy, but would that happen with the Dark Lord? It felt that way now, but would it be in the future? And what about the war? Would that affect things? Who was he kidding, of course it would. Did he want to proceed with it? No. if Voldemort didn't love him back, Harry would be crushed beyond words. ' _No.'_ Harry told himself. _'If I do love him, I have to let him go. He'll never love me.'_ And that was the hardest part of all.

Suddenly he didn't want to go eat breakfast, he didn't want to face Voldemort, but he wanted to know about what Draco said earlier before his…realization. What did he need to see? Was something wrong? Did it have something to do with the newspaper article? Sighing in frustration he decided to put on a look of determination.

When Harry entered the dining room he didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't to see Sirius' face. Horrified, Harry suddenly wished the floor would swallow him up.

"Harry?" Sirius asked slowly and something just…broke.

"HOW COULD YOU?! ALL THIS TIME, ALL THE SELF BLAME, ALL THE TEARS! DON'T COME NEAR ME, YOU SICK, SELFISH BASTARD! I HATE YOU!" Harry yelled and then spit on Sirius' shocked face. "CRUCIO!" Then man was suddenly rolling painfully on the ground, begging for mercy, but Harry showed no mercy because there was no mercy left. "FURNUNCULUS!" Harry cried as boils began to break out over Sirius' writhing body.

"Harry!" His concentration broken, Sirius was left lying on the floor, coughing and choking.

"WHAT?" Harry screamed, magic crackling and swirling wildly.

"Calm, Harry. Just stay calm." Voldemort said softly, walking up slowly and gently prying the wand from Harry's hand. Eyes rolling back in his head, everything started to go black.

"He's…Magic….Not good…when….oka-…" Was the last thing he heard as the darkness swallowed him whole.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hopefully getting a job soon and going back to school in the next few weeks, so my chapters may be a little sporadic from now on, but I'll definitely try to update every few days. I love you's peoples! Lol enough of my craziness, remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Repeat with the next chap!

Warning: None as of yet.

" **Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself." ~Walter Anderson**

 **Chapter 7: One disaster too many**

How could this happen? Death of a family member like one as important as Sirius to Harry was painful. So painful that it felt like a destroying force, plunging Harry into the deepest darkness. It felt as if he were drowning; sorrow was consuming him. He wanted to absolutely die knowing that Sirius would rather be dead than his godfather. Harry knew it was his own fault! But just as he was healing, to see Sirius alive and well, he had to wonder if he was cursed.

"'Arry?"

Startled, Harry felt the blackness loosen its hold. ' _No! Don't leave me!'_ Harry wanted to yell at the darkness, but it sounded garbled, as if he really were drowning.

"Harry?"

Another voice, this time less sharp and more relaxing, but nonetheless the darkness began to fade and Harry began to become aware of the sunshine hiding through his eyelids. Suddenly there was a new pain, this time physical, as Harry tried to open his eyelids against the invisible pounding in his head.

"I think he's waking up."

"Go. Get your mother."

Suddenly Harry's eyes shot opened and he groaned loudly. He tried to talk but ended up in a fit of coughing and choking.

"Hush, don't talk. Here." Voldemort said carefully, handing Harry a glass of water.

"Wh-y?" Harry rasped after taking slow sips.

"You injured your throat when you screamed before you passed out." Voldemort said quietly, avoiding the reason of Harry's break down.

"I-I-S-Sor-ry." Harry coughed out.

"Its fine Harry, I shouldn't have surprised you like that. It was a sensitive situation that I handled badly." Voldemort said softly, placing his hand over Harry's while Harry just shook his head and opened his mouth to speak.

"You better not be speaking, young man." A Female voice said, making Voldemort and Harry jump.

"It's my fault." Voldemort said guiltily.

"Leave." Narcissa Malfoy said crisply.

Voldemort shuffled out, glaring at the short blond woman. Almost immediately, she started shooting diagnostic spells at Harry who could only stare. Honestly, the woman just forced the Dark Lord to do something, she must be one hell of a something.

"Well, it looks like your still a bit on the malnourished side and that it has stunted your growth. We'll have to go to Gringotts; the goblins have a potion to unlock your true potential. The potion will also get rid of your scars and most likely fix your eyesight, though possibly not because the Potter's have a long line of bad vision." The pureblood woman sniffed. "I also see here that your hands aren't well formed due to past injuries. I could heal them now or let the potion heal them, but I'll let you decide. For now, I just want you to rest and take a few potions for your strained vocals. You should be good by dinner."

"H-H-How L-Long-g?" Harry choked, ignoring Narcissa's disapproving look.

"How long were you unconscious?" She asked and Harry nodded. "Almost 24-hours." She said quietly and Harry stared.

"T-T-Than-k y-you." Harry gasped out.

"You are welcome, but you need rest right now, so go to sleep my son." She said, smiling and Harry wondered, not for the first time, if this was what having a mother felt like. Narcissa was nothing like Molly; she loved, but not overbearingly, she protected, but not as loud as the Weasley matriarch, and she treated Harry as her own, but not just for his Boy-Who-Lived stigma.

Rolling over, he made a silent wish for Narcissa to be his mother.

When he woke up, Harry was happy to realize that his throat was healed. He realized it when Voldemort started to shake him and he'd yelled for the man to go away. Shooting up in bed, Harry turned to smile brightly at Voldemort.

"My throat doesn't hurt!" Harry cried happily, jumping Voldemort and hugging him tightly as they fell backwards.

"Oomph!" Voldemort gasped as his back hit the floor. "You know I could torture you for that, right brat?"

"Of course, but I knew you wouldn't." Harry giggled, pulling back.

"I woke you up for dinner, I take it by your energy that you're up to it?" Voldemort chuckled.

"Yep! Come on!" Harry pulled Voldemort up and started running towards the dining room. Voldemort just stared after the boy, wondering what on earth had gotten into him.

"You know," Voldemort started as he caught up to Harry. "Your mood swings are giving me whiplash." This seemed to sober Harry up.

"I need to be happy, Voldemort. If I'm not, the world comes crashing down on me and fast. Let me have these moments, I'll be serious when the time is needed. Please, I'm going to go insane if I let it out." Harry said desperately and Voldemort's eyes narrowed.

"Fine, but I want you to talk about this with me, Harry. Holding it inside will make you more insane than letting it out. Trust me, I know." Voldemort said, avoiding his eyes.

Sighing, Harry reached out and gently grabbed Voldemort's face. "Fine," He whispered, caressing the older man's jaw. "I understand, but if I speak, then so do you. I want to know about what has made you, you." Harry said sadly, ' _I want you to love and trust me like I love and trust you.'_ Harry thought, then froze. Damn those thoughts.

"How about we eat dinner alone? Start our nightly stroll early?" Voldemort said quietly and Harry smiled, agreeing.

A/N: I'm leaving it here and I'm sorry it's so short but the next chapter will be extra long.


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